How To Make Baseball Videos

When one wants to make a baseball video in order to instruct old and new players alike in the fundamentals, there are a few basic techniques that must be addressed for the video to be helpful. It is always better to teach the basics like throwing and catching a baseball or making contact with the baseball while hitting rather than starting off with something as difficult as bunting or turning double plays. If you follow these steps for how to make a baseball video, you'll find that the video is informative and helpful.

Once you've assembled your actors and film crew (this can be as simple as two or three baseball players, one person to run the camera, and one person to set the lights and double check the sound) and have a location, you'll need to plot out the video.

One of the most basic essentials to baseball is learning how to throw a ball. When making a baseball video, it would be advantageous to have this be one of the first things that is taught. If the player is right-handed, instruct to have the player throw with his right hand and catch with his left, and for a player that is left-handed, instruct to have him do the opposite. Now the player is ready to learn the correct motion of throwing a baseball. Have one or more of your actors demonstrate this motion; film it from a few different angles so that you can choose the best shot later, in the editing booth.

The next thing the baseball video should explain is catching the ball in the glove. It is a good idea to instruct the player to use both hands when catching at first. The glove should actually catch the ball, but the other hand should be used to trap the ball in the glove. There are different ways to catch a ball, and the baseball video should show step-by-step instructions on all of the ways. The video should touch on catching a ground ball, pop up, line drive, or just a throw from another teammate. The baseball video should encourage the viewer to find a partner, and should suggest that they both set aside a time for catching and throwing, so they can get sufficient practice.

Now the player is ready to put a baseball bat in his hands. Again, the players should be told that right-handed and left-handed people stand on different sides of home plate. The player should be shown how to swing before he is instructed on how to hit a ball. Everything that comes into play when swinging a baseball bat should be mentioned: things like distribution of weight on the different legs, moving the weight forward when swinging, and rolling the wrists over to increase bat speed are all things that should be mentioned and instructed about when making a baseball video. Remember to also film these actions from several different angles.

One of your actors will probably act as a narrator, describing the actions. Narration sequences are often filmed separately and used as cutaways or voiceovers, although a little bit of interaction between the video's narrator and the baseball players may be entertaining.

After you have sufficient raw footage, you will want to edit your film. This can be done in a professional editing booth - these can be rented by the hour in most large cities, but are very expensive - or you can use film editing software such as Final Cut. Final Cut is also expensive, but the difference lies in a one-time charge for your own professional-grade editing software, or hourly charges that can be as high as $300 for time in a professional booth. During the final edit, you'll choose the best shots from each actor and will splice them together. You will also add any titling or other text, and any soundtrack you may choose. Keep in mind that nearly all recorded music will require purchase of a license to use that music if you intend to include it in your video. It may be cheaper and easier to pay a musician buddy to come in and lay down a few tracks on a keyboard or guitar.